Well, the last week and a half I've been busy shipping sweet packages out of the Whimsy Shoppe!  It's been SO FUN!  I've enjoyed getting the emails back from the shoppers and their excitement over their new jewels.  It's so fun to wrap up each package and make it pretty!  This butterfly necklace is a favorite of both my 10 year old (pictured wearing it) and Whimsy Shoppers alike!  In fact, I even wore mine today! Such a fun, vintage looking piece (only two remaining).

Even this chic girl ordered one!  It's like having a movie star shop at the shoppe!  The other favorite necklace has been, of course, the roses...who can resist? 

I'm thinking about doing an open house at the end of November or first of December...Hmmm?  Local girls...what do y'all think about that?  It would be a cash and carry thing (which means I would have to work my tail off to get my inventory built up :)...great for last minute Christmas shopping.  Come and mingle, shop, snack, and share some holiday cheer.  I love fun things like that!  Maybe I can pull it off. 

Me and Cash had a big morning running errands and getting groceries.  He is so darn funny...he now recognizes when we are in Fort Smith and asks to go to "Chik Play"  -- Chick Filet :) How can I resist? LOL!  And though I really don't have the time or patience to sit and watch him play...how can I not...he loves it so much and we have so much fun.  Speaking of my little DUDE-el (doodle), check out his scary face...he's still in Halloween mode.  LOL!

In other news, I've committed to running a 5k on the 21st.  Have I told you this already?  Well, accountability is good, friends :)  So I'm gonna do it.  I've been "training" (such a strong word really) and hopefully I'll be ready by the 21st.  I've walked/jogged/ran around this circle in front of my house at least 150 times this last week!!!  LOL!  I'm thinking I need an exciting new route so tomorrow I will cut across the woods and try something different! 

I'm sure I'll be walking a portion of it (the 5k)...but that's okay.  That's how I roll :)  I'm really REALLY wanting to lost about 15 more lb. by the end of the year, yeah, I know great timing --with the holidays.  It's really not about dieting...it's a life change.

Oh, Scott is making me a table for my dining room!  I hope it will be done before Thanksgiving...though he's not too optimistic...the chairs I'm sure will take much longer.  Maybe I'll make over this brass chandelier like this one.  I can't hardly bear to throw out a perfectly good (35 year old :) brass light fixture and replace it with the junk (trust me, I know, I have one in my kitchen dining area!) they sell at Lowes or Home Depot!  I think a make over is in order.

Hi everyone!  I'd like to welcome you to the Whimsy Shoppe! 

Come on over and visit me...at www.whimsyshoppe.com --check it out, pick up some handmade goodness, think about those on your Christmas list...it's time to start holiday shopping!  I'd love♥ to hear your thoughts on the shoppe.  The website is just a very casual little online liaison to my home studio, which I also refer to as the ever evolving Whimsy Shoppe!  I'm sure I will learn what works best, but I have no idea what the demand will be so I am just going to mark items in the shoppe as NOT AVAILABLE if they are sold out (though please email me if there's something you really are interested in).    

I just want to thank you for all of my friends who have encouraged me, supported me, loved me, cheered and rooted for me...in doing this and in everything I've done.  I got the most wonderful email this morning from one such person...Fran, your email was a God send.  Jenny, thank you for reminding me of lessons learned about faith.   Tammy...I love you friend.  I am so grateful, thankful, blessed and I have just prayed for God's direction in what to do with myself going forward.  Oh, scrapbooking will always be a part of me...I am not hanging up my sb-apron, just taking some time to discover all the wonderful, crafty good possibilities.  Over the last couple of months, I've enjoyed a slower pace and I've stopped and smelled the roses AND the coffee, been able to re-focus and get my life in good order.  God is good and I know he blesses me with these hands that can create handmade goodies with ♥love.  Scott always says that he ♥loves things that I make, whether it be his salad at the pizza buffet or something crafty---because they are "♥ made with love ♥"...he says it always tastes better when I make it. :) I want you all to know that too...all of my goods are made with love♥ ...for the love of making pretty things, doing a good job, and doing the work that the good Lord meant for me to do. 

So get over to the shoppe...lots of eye candy :) Love to hear your thoughts and suggestions here!

I absolutely LOVE fall. 

love it.

Our back yard is laden with big oak trees.  It's a love hate thing. :)  Love the trees, love the shade, love jumping in the fallen leaves, but actually trying to get them all under control before they completely overtake us...not so fun!  LOL! 

Though he missed out on the leaf play (nap) Cash whizzed around on his tractor all afternoon and had a ball!!!  He loves that tractor.

Man I got bit by the decorating bug Friday.  We've lived here for over two years and I still haven't decorated.  But, I've taken a new approach.  I want my home to be adorned with purposeful, meaningful things...that aren't just things.  Items that hold a memory, have a past or tell a story.  Home is really important to us...we love being home.  Our home is "lived in" -- comfortable, and I hope it's welcoming to all who enter.  It's not perfect, nor anywhere near pristine - nor is it clean most days!  But we sure do love this place.  Love that it's a great gathering place...the door's always open.  I fixed this little vignette in my decorating spree...some vintage frames and a favorite picture of the kids. 

I also made this little piece Friday (the framed doily) to add to my kitchen/dining area...

 

Oh I just love it...the doily was crocheted by my Grandmother (Dad's mom) and was given to me as a wedding gift when Scott and I were married nearly 15 years ago.  I used it in our home for years but finally decided to put it away after it started showing it's age and coming loose a bit.  It's coming a part a bit and has a stain...but it only adds to the love.  You can read more about it over at Got Crafts-- I'll share how I did it.  It's a quick project that adds something meaningful to your decor. 

I used burlap to mount the doily on...and I also love this idea that I saw at Living with Lindsay's blog and in Country Living this month for creating a simple burlap table runner...perfect for fall and Thanksgiving!  With three little monkeys running around, I usually don't do much decor on the table...it's always in use!  Though I had to give this idea a whirl...so here's my version...just added about $4 worth of decorative gourds and some corn I've had for years to a metal bin my sil gave me--

As much as I LOVE my dining table (one of our first big purchases after we were married :), this idea looks better with dark woods, black tables.  I think I'll probably add a strip of colored fabric to my simple table-scape to make it pop.

Abby helped me with some decorating too...she added one of her paintings to the plate rack I store my go-to cookbooks beside the ovens :)

Welp...I've got to get some cleaning done before church time this evening...hope you are enjoying your fall.  Blessings. jw

Well, if you are Alisha B...YOU DID!!!  Congrats girl!  Email me and I'll get your necklace shipped to you!  Here's what Alisha will add to her jewelry box for this fall! 

Can I start by saying...I love my husband.  He never reads here, so I'm really not saying this for his benefit :)  I mentioned last night..."have you notice that when I'm am in the zone (creatively speaking) --that I can't seem to do any housework or cook dinner?"  Uh, yes, he has noticed :)  It's NOT MY FAULT!  I swear, creativity and cleaning are like oil and water...you just can manage both!!! 

So needless to say, I have been in the "zone" and it's such fun!  Jenny (my little sis) came in this weekend and we just had so much fun getting our craft on!!!  Visiting and laughing and we even took some pics of our craftiness...

Jenny loves making quilts and this was a quickie she whipped out this weekend!  Can you believe how cute!?  She calls is the "All American Boy" quilt...perfect! 

I worked on my bags and stuff...and soon, very soon I will be unveiling the Whimsy Shoppe.  [INSERT BIG, HUGE SMILE HERE]  I'm so darned excited I can barely wait!

Jenny is 8 years younger than I...so that makes her like, uh, 21.  NOT.  Anyway...she is beautiful and I love her so much and I treasure each time we get together.  So proud of her...she is studying her way to be an Occupational Therapist...such a jewel, this girl. :)

So shall I give you a peek at a couple of things you'll find in the Whimsy Shoppe?  I think I shall...

Been working hard on the site the last few days (peek of logo above)...it's not like a full fledged store or anything...just a fun place to pick up some crafty, handmade goodness.  And of course the literal Whimsy Shoppe is 200 sf over my garage, my studio...a crafty place to stew up handmade love.

This is one of my favorites...just a peek now :)

And you may have already seen these on fb?

Where is the month going!?  It's the 15th already!  No way!  My kids keep talking about Halloween costumes...and I can't even wrap my mind around that yet!  I still giggle, chuckle about last year...did you catch this in October Scrapbooks etc???

As much as I'd like the kids to be something cohesive...characters from say, the Wizard of Oz or something like that...of course, they want to "express" themselves!  How dare they!?  LOL!  Anyway...so far this year, we've got a wanna be 80's prom queen, a sock hop/poodle skirt girl and a "scary suit" ed boy.   These are their requests....so we'll see what happens!

Back to the layout...it's totally one of my ALL TIME FAVES!  Even the super duper talented (and one of my MOST favorite creative souls), Candice Carpenter, lifted my design :)  What a treat!!!   I'm so excited it was in the Halloween issue of the Scrapbooks etc. magazine!  What a hoot!  Sara was the funniest, chubbiest, most hilarious "old lady" ever!  It took two bags of polyfil to stuff that huge bra and my Spanx girdle!!!  LOL!  Abby, a perfect little sparkly fairy and Cash...well, he wore a "scary suit."    It was so fun!

In other news...I've been sewing!  I'm making some handmade goodness for a special date in November when I reveal my wares.  I've thought about doing an open house for the holidays...whether it's a literal thing or just an online OPEN house, I hope to bring SO MANY more ideas to life between now and then!  So far I have several CUTE bags and some really fun jewelry pieces!

This weekend I'm so excited that my sister is coming to visit!  YAY!!!  We are going to hole up in my crafty space and CREATE!!!  Jenny is a big time quilter!  She's so good!  I just haven't found my quilting gene yet...I know it's in there...so many crafty projects and so little time! 

Okay...I know this is short and sweet...but I am so very sleepy :)  Just wanted to share a little and say HELLO!!! 

Have a happy and blessed Friday!

xoxo

Creatively speaking....So I said that I would come home from IU and dive right in creating...wherever inspiration took me.  Well, I have actually done some creating, yes.  Not to the extent that I thought I would but I'm still fine tuning this thing called life.  In the last couple of months, with my retuning, re-prioritizing...my family has been SO MUCH happier...which makes me HAPPY...which makes them happy...it's an endless circle of HAPPY!  When Mama's happy...everything is good.  It's amazing how much we feed off our loved ones happiness.  How you can't be happy with others until you are happy with yourself, inside.  When all you feel is unrest, that things are undone, and out of control...happy is just lost.  So attending to my family was my first order of business...and I feel like I'm in control now.  I'm enjoying moments.  I find myself looking at the kids and taking a mental snapshot..."I don't want to miss this, I don't want to forget this." The house is in order, things are ginning along and I'm maintaining.  It feels good.

Trying to reach out to some FRIENDS now.  It is difficult to maintain and nurture friendships when you can barely keep track of yourself and your family, home.  So I have been very guilty of neglecting some relationships over the last couple of years.  Anybody that knows me can attest that I'm not a CALL-er.  I'm the CALL-ee generally.  In other words, I just don't call a lot of people to chat because I never really feel that I have enough spare time for that.  Now, if you do get me on the phone...don't let the previous statements lead you to believe that I'm not a TALK-er...because after 30 min of chatter you'll wonder HOW AM I GOING TO GET THIS LADY OFF THE PHONE!??? LOL!  I attribute this factor to the lack of human contact that I have!  LOL!  With that said...I'm going to try to be a better friend.  :)

Anyway...I'm also working on ME.  Some of y'all know that I set a pretty lofty goal for myself earlier this year.  To lose 50 lb. by the end of the year...my 15th wedding anniversary.  Well, a couple of months ago, I pretty much plateaued at 25 lb loss.  Okay, I didn't really plateau as much as I "laid off" my diet.  I got so busy working that I quit running/walking and well, here I am.  Still maintaining my 25 lb. loss which I'm SO proud of.  I lost 3 pant sizes and I can now shop in REGULAR stores.  Y'all just don't know what an AMAZING feeling that is, and some of you do :)  This week, I kick it back into high gear and I'm going to try to lose what I can between now and December!  Great time to start trying to diet, right?  LOL!  Well, it's not as much about dieting as it is cutting back to meet my goal and adding back in my exercise routine.  I feel confident that I can get the scale dropping again.  So I tell all of you and hopefully it will help me be accountable in some way.  I'm even considering committing to a 5k here in town in November...we'll see?

I look around and I truly am happy.  I see that Scott is happy with me and that makes my heart swell...loving him more than ever.  Of course, I have concerns, worries...don't we all...but I choose not to dwell on those.  I pack them all up neatly and put them in my prayer basket--and hand it right over to the Lord.  God has taught me over the last couple of months--corrected me where I lacked faith, provided where I have had need and reassured me where I have questioned myself.  He has spoken in a voice that I have heard--that has directed my heart.  It's really amazing...to see faith working.

This verse really inspired me...and spoke to my soul
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Proverbs 3:12-13

WOW.

About 130 passionate creative souls under one roof.

Organized by Ginger...flawless production, I might add :)

Inspiration (classes/mini classes) ala Teresa, Layle, Stephanie, Tammy Mitchell and myself...Just amazing!

Fabulous support staff/volunteers...Mom (Sandy), Lesley, Andrea, Tammy B, Michelle, Taylor...omg!!!  Couldn't have done it without you gals!

Awesome on-site shopping courtesy of Down to Details!

Lots of paper, glue, scissors, stamping, flowers and glittery things.

Crowns galore, new friends, old friends...memories for a lifetime.

No sleep, lots of lip balm, green tea and coffee (Pumpkin Spice Lattes :) and non-stop creativity!

Got to spend a few unforgettable giggly days with my friends/roomies Tammy, Mary and Michelle!

Connections, sparks, sharing, laughing, looking chic with our hair flowers and just having a ball!  It ROCKED!!!

Here's a link to some pics (thanks Amanda and friends)

It was a fantastic time.  It was even better than last year for me and honestly, I was dreading leaving the family...just a little bit.  Only because I'm a homebody and I really hate to leave the house these days...but it was so much more than I expected.  SO MUCH.  The connections from last year were rekindled...made lots of new friends too!  I can't believe that some of you traveled so far to be a part of this event...East Coast gals, CANADA, Texas gals...amazing.  Just amazing.  Putting a face with the names that have been chatting it up over the last months was so fun!  This event truly blessed my heart and healed me in so many ways.  It was encouraging and y'all know that my head was WAYYYY bigger when I left, right!?  LOL!  SInce last year, I've lost 25 lb. and there was  compliments coming at me from every direction...yes, I totally ate it up!  LOL!!!  AND, it has totally inspired me to get back on the wagon and get this other 25 lb off!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the encouragement!!!  

And some more pics  (thanks Martha)

As some of y'all know...I've been at somewhat of a crossroads, creatively speaking.  Planning my next move.  Prioritizing family first....then letting my creative endeavors take their place where they belong.  I've decided I want to let my inspiration take me where it will and just see what happens over the next few months.  Who knows what will happen!!!  I want to be able to create on a whim...and hopefully the Good Lod can turn it all into something wonderful!  I brought a few of my creations to share (jewelry) to see what everybody thought and again...so much support and so many kind words.  The gang was so encouraging...it warmed my heart so much.  

A few more pics (thanks Bucket and gals)

I want to thank each IU-er for making my experience unforgettable.  As I recall the event, I can put faces and names together, I laugh over and over about funnies and silly memories as we got delerious as the time went on (many involving Lesley :) LOL) and its just something that I'll never forget. 

I CAN'T WAIT till next year!!!  WOOoooooo HOOOOOooooOOO!!!

So now I'm back to my ho-hum-everyday stuff.  :)  Which is wonderful in itself.  (yes, still making my bed, friend Lisa :)  I'm trying to get caught up from being away--and I have some fun assignments I'm working on!  October is going to be a creative frenzy for me!  Just going with my inspiration and seeing where it takes me...INSPIRATION UNLIMITED, right?!  :)

You girls just don’t know what a blessing it is to me to be a part of this event.  Lil ole me, country girl from Arkansas …I feel like a million bucks getting to come and share and play with such and amazing group.  There’s no doubt in my mind that these friendships are not by chance, but they are carefully orchestrated connections…I consider it such a gift to have gotten to spend time, get to know and call each of you, my friends.

I've been thinking alot about this verse lately...one of my favorites:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

These things are hard because how I wish everyone of you could have this necklace, or a version of it...and I so appreciate the encouragement and comments more than you will ever know!  With every email of a new comment, I just got the warm fuzzies and it helped me to know that I wasn't the only one who thought these necklaces were pretty and cute :)  A big thank you to all who visited the blog and left your two cents, your thoughts and your encouragement...it means more than you know.  I headed over to Random.org to generate the random winner...and who should it be?  I'm so happy to give this necklace to you, Ginger :)

Oh my goodness...I'm a blogging maniac!  I LOVE IT!

Y'all know how much I love scallops right?  Well, check out this project that I designed over at the Fiskars site and I'll show you how you can use a handy dandy circle cutter to add scallops to this romantic styled pillow cover!  Freshen up your decor with some sassy new pillows -- and it takes just a couple of yards of fabric per pillow!  You will love this project!  I promise...it will make you WANT to make your bed! ;)